The secrets of sensational storytelling for Squirrels

It’s no secret that children (and adults) love a good story. When we hear stories, we’re transported to new worlds, or join in on wonderful adventures.

Why are stories important for Squirrels?

For young people aged 4 and 5 (our Squirrels), stories help develop empathy, and boost confidence and trust.

Through stories, children can explore and make sense of the world around them, while learning new words and vocabulary.

This is why stories are so important in the Squirrels programme, and why Squirrels have their own Squirrels Story Time Activity Badge. 

One volunteer told us they were struggling with reading stories. They said ‘the trickiest part was getting them to sit still in the early days, whilst they got used to the routine’.

To help with this, and to celebrate storytelling with Squirrels, we shared new, creative ideas for engaging young people in stories.

On the Welcome to Squirrels Facebook group, we’ve included tips and tricks to help volunteers bring stories to life.

Our storytelling tips for Squirrels

Our tips encourage volunteers to read stories to their Dreys, and use ‘story maps’, toys, and props to spark magic and enthusiasm during story time. To bring your stories to life, you could:

• Draw pictures
• Find pictures online using a computer or tablet
• Act your story out
• Use toys
• Make costumes or props

To keep Squirrels focused, we suggested:

• Building stories into their routine
• Letting them ‘buddy up’ while listening to the story
• Sitting them next to a volunteer

One volunteer wasn’t sure how to link stories to activities or badges. For this, we’d suggest reading a story like ’The Colour Monster’, as it encourages children to talk about their feelings and emotions, and will help them earn their Squirrels Feel Good Badge.

Some volunteers wondered what other books they could read to their Squirrels, and how to access them. We’ve created a recommended list of the most loved children’s stories, and encouraged families to donate books to build a Squirrels library.

We loved seeing engagement from the volunteers. Over 25 days, we reached 939 leaders, and received 135 ‘likes’ and 88 comments on our posts. Volunteers commented saying how useful the tips were, and that they’ll be able to tell stories in new ways.

Discover our Secrets of Sensational Storytelling

All our advice for telling stories with Squirrels can be found on our The Secrets of Sensational Storytelling web page. Anyone can be a storyteller, and now it’s your turn to be in charge!